


Find My Way Back To You

by HazzaBearStyles



Series: Tumblr Prompts [8]
Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Attempted Murder, Harry disappears, Harry just needs a hug, Hurt Harry, M/M, Piper the dog, mild violence, so do the other boys
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-28
Updated: 2018-10-28
Packaged: 2019-08-08 17:21:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,289
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16433642
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HazzaBearStyles/pseuds/HazzaBearStyles
Summary: Prompt: Can you do a harry centered one where Harry goes missing (like with witness protection) and it's right after his solo tour and the other boys hear and freak out. He comes back months later and he's been hurt and the boys refuse to leave his side and they all get together. Make it long and angst/fluff filled plz!





	Find My Way Back To You

**Author's Note:**

> A/N: So I made this up about the WPP as I went. And the two songs that Harry ‘writes’ are actually ‘Skin’ by Rag ‘n’ Bone Man and ‘I Found’ by Amber Run and they do not belong to me.
> 
> Warning(s): Abuse; Harry whump; attempted murder
> 
> Disclaimer: I do not own ‘Skin’ by Rag ‘n’ Bone Man and ‘I Found’ by Amber Run.

All day, Harry had a very strange feeling in the pit of his stomach. He woke up feeling anxious and he wasn’t sure that it was such a good idea to leave the flat today. But he had to. He had things to do. 

“C’mon, Piper,” Harry called out to the Shiba Inu dog sleeping beside him. “It’s time to get up.”

Piper yawned and hopped off the bed, looking at her owner excitedly. Harry smiled down at his baby girl and scratched behind her ears. He stood up and opened the bedroom door. Piper ran ahead of Harry and over to the door, begging to be let out. Harry chuckled as he got the dog’s leash and attached it to her collar. After putting on a jacket and shoes, he opened the door letting in the crisp Californian morning air. 

“Alright, let’s go.”

They walked out the door and took a walk around the block so Piper could relieve herself. After about 30 minutes, the pair made their way back home. Harry went about making himself and Piper breakfast. Once he was done, he went to his room to change for the day and let Jeff know that he was on his way to the recording studio.

It was as Harry was saying goodbye to Piper and walking out of the house that he felt he was being watched. He looked over his shoulder as he locked his door but there was nothing and no one there. Shrugging, Harry turned to head to his car. The whole time he drove to the studio, Harry still got the feeling that someone was watching him. It was a relief when he finally reached his destination and got inside. 

“Hey, Harry!” Serena the receptionist at the desk greeted him.

Harry grinned and high-fived her as he walked past. “Jeff here yet?”

“Not yet, dear. He should be in soon though.”

“OK, I’m going to head back and start working on this new song,” Harry said as he made his way into the back of the studio. 

The curly-haired man sat down at the piano once he was inside and started playing. This new song that he was planning out was going to be a love ballad. It was a song that was really close to his heart because when he thought about the ones he wanted to share it with, his heart ached when he remembered that he couldn’t. At least not in the way he wanted. Harry sighed as his mind drifted to the four men that he was hopelessly in love with. Yes. Four. Harry Edward Styles was in love with none other than his former bandmates, Niall, Zayn, Liam, and Louis.  

Harry had longed for them for years but it’s not like anything would ever come from it. Zayn hated him. Hadn’t talked to him since he left the band. He had grown even closer with Louis, Liam and, Niall after Zayn had left, but once 1D broke up, they all seemed to drift apart. They all had different lives now. And don’t get him wrong. Harry was super glad that they had all escaped from Modest Management and that they all seemed to be thriving in their own ways but… it still hurt to not be as close as they used to be. Writing this song helped let out his emotions though. 

‘ _ **And I found love where it wasn’t supposed to be. Right in front of me. Talk some sense to me** …_’

Harry spent the rest of the morning pouring his heart and soul into his song. He and Jeff exchanged a few ideas when the older man came in and they spent the day writing out the music for the song. By the time either man realized what time it was, it was well into the afternoon. Harry looked at his watch and got up. 

“You want to grab dinner, mate?” Jeff asked as he got ready to leave.

“No thanks. I’m going to go let Piper out and take her for a walk and then I think I am going to head back here and work some more. I have more ideas to write down.”

Jeff smiled at his friend and rested a hand on his shoulder. “Don’t work too hard, Curly.” 

With a promise to his friend that he wouldn’t, Harry was out the door and on his way home. 

* * *

 

The uneasy feeling didn’t return until Harry and Piper were making their way into the empty studio after he dinner. The curly-haired-man looked around in apprehension before he entered the studio again. Once he and Piper were inside, he felt like he was not alone but he pushed the feeling aside. He had work to do. 

Heading to the back room to write some more Harry didn’t notice that he wasn’t alone in the building. It wasn’t until a hand landed on his shoulder. Crying out in surprise, Harry jerked around and came face to face with someone he hadn’t seen in a couple of weeks. Not since he got the restraining order. 

“Jack. What are you doing here?” Harry asked shakily.

Right away, Piper started to growl at the man. She stepped protectively in front of her owner, tail raised in warning to the stranger.

Jack took a step toward Harry. “You’ve been ignoring my calls. Why?”

“You know why. Now leave before I call the police on you.” Harry said sternly. 

Jack had been one of the interns for the record label for 6 months before they had found out that he had been stalking Harry for at least a year. They had fired him and upped Harry’s security. Things had seemed fine until Jack had shown up in front of Harry’s house. Luckily, Jeff and Mitch had been with him and they had called the police on Jack. After that, Harry had gotten a restraining order against the intern and Jack had seemed to drop off the face of the earth. Until now. 

And Jack looked horrible. His eyes were red and his hair greasy. He had sores all over his face and his clothes looked like they hadn’t been washed. “I need your help, Harry. I’ve gotten into some trouble.”

Harry shook his head and pointed at the door. “No Jack. I am not doing anything for you. Get out.”

Jack’s dark eyes narrowed dangerously. “Well then. I see how it is. You have a bit of success and now you’re above everybody else right?”

Harry took a deep breath. “I don’t owe you anything.” 

That wasn’t what Jack wanted to hear. He angrily turned around and punched the wall. “Fine, Styles. Don’t help. But know that this was your last chance. First, you get me fired and then you filed a restraining order against me? Now, this?” He took a step towards Harry but stopped when Piper began growling again. “I thought we had something special.” 

“We don’t and we never did.” Harry snapped back. “That was all in your head. And I don’t, nor have I ever, owe you anything. Now get out before I call the police.”

“You’ll regret this, Harry.” And with that, Jack slammed the door.

* * *

 

Harry couldn’t concentrate the rest of the night. He kept seeing Jack’s face and hearing his threats. Piper stayed by him, growling every time she heard a sound and it frayed Harry’s nerves even more. It was midnight when Harry decided to finally call it a night. As Harry was walking out of the building, he heard voices coming from near where he parked the car. 

“You promised me, Jack. Where’s my money? I don’t want to have to hurt you.”

“I promise I’ll have it. Soon! I just need more time, Carl.”

“That wasn’t the deal kid. You’re really leaving me no choice here.”

By this time, Harry had reached the parking lot be he was hesitant to go any further. He could see the source of the two voices and saw that one of them was Jack. He really didn’t want to have another conversation with the other man and he definitely didn’t want to get into the middle of what was going down. He debated turning back towards the studio and calling an Uber to come pick him up. He would have done that if something hadn’t flown in front of them and spooked Piper, causing her to start barking. 

Jack turned towards Harry as the other man, Carl, took out a gun and shot him point blank. Harry’s hands covered his mouth in shock and he fell back in a hurry to get out of sight. He desperately tried to get Piper to calm down. 

“Hey, kid. I hope you’re not trying to run. Because it’s no use.”

Harry was shaking in fear. Piper growled at the other man and stood in front of Harry protectively. “No Piper. Get back, girl. 

Harry looked up and saw the man standing five feet in front of him, his gun pointing right at him. Harry wasn’t sure what would have happened next if another man hadn’t come running out of the nearby alleyway, gun drawn and yelling for Carl to freeze. 

Carl turned his gun towards the other man and shot at him but missed. The newcomer, in turn, shot at Carl and got him. Harry wasn’t sure if it was adrenaline or what but he suddenly remembered how to get up and run. So he did, dragging Piper with him. 

“Come on, Piper. Let’s go, girl.” He made it to his car and slammed the door shut. He tore out of the parking lot, driving away. His hands were shaking as he finally pulled to a stop, 10 minutes later. Looking around, he realized that he had pulled up in front of a police station. Taking that as a sign, Harry and Piper got out of the car and walked into the station. 

“Can I help you, young man?” Asked the concerned elderly lady at the front desk. 

“I… I need to report a… a… murder…” As Harry uttered the words, he felt himself getting sick. He bent over and threw up all over the floor. 

* * *

 

“OK, kid. Just a little longer.” The detective told him kindly. “Do any of these men look familiar?”

Harry looked down at the pictures that Detective Gellar was showing him. It only took him 30 seconds to make an ID. “Him. I think Jack said his name was Carl.”

Detective Gellar got a worried look on his face as he recognized the man but he quickly got rid of it. “Carl Meyers.”

“Who is he?” Harry asked. 

“He’s the head of a drug ring that we’ve been trying to arrest for the past year now. He’s extremely dangerous.”

Harry began shaking again the more he heard about Carl Meyers. “Should… should I get more security? What should I do?” 

Detective Gellar shook his head. “Not quite.” He got up. “Wait here for a moment. I’ll be right back.”

Harry felt himself grow more and more apprehensive as the detective got up and left. What was going to happen? He looked over at Piper who was sleeping in the corner. At least they were safe. Right? He looked up as the door opened once more letting in Detective Gellar and a new face. 

“Harry Styles?”

Harry’s mouth dropped open in shock. It was the man that shot Carl in the parking lot. What was he doing here?

As if reading his mind, the man introduced himself. “Agent James Harrison. I’ve been working on the Carl Meyers case for a while now. We need to talk.”

Harry slowly nodded.

“Carl Meyers and his men are still out there and until we catch them, it isn’t safe for you to return home. We need to hide you.”

* * *

 

Harry stared at himself in the mirror, tears in his eyes. He had just learned that his time in Witness Protection would be spent in isolation with only his contact coming to check on him every few days. 

“C’mon, Daniel. Don’t just stand there forever. We need to get this hair shaved so it’ll be easier to hide you.”

Harry looked at Harrison in confusion. “Daniel?”

The agent rolled his eyes at the kid. “You. You’re Daniel. Remember? We can’t go by your old name anymore.”

Harry looked away again. “Right. Daniel.” He whispered. He looked at the razor that Harrison was holding. “Let’s get this over with.”

Harry sat down and let the older man run the razor through his curls. “You know it’s not enough just to shave my head.”

Harrison grunted in annoyance as he finished. “I know. Your damn face is everywhere. That’s why you’re being sent to the middle of nowhere, kid. Where no one can find you until we resolve this.”

Harry closed his eyes tightly as the tears threatening to fall again. He didn’t want to cry in front of Agent Harrison however so he took a deep breath and steeled his nerves. 

“So, northern Alberta?” Harry asked as he stood up.

“Yes. You leave in just a couple of hours.” Harrison sat the razor down. He sat down across from Harry and looked at him. “They said you could bring the mutt with you.”

Harry looked at him surprised. “Piper? I can bring her?” 

“Yes. There’s no harm in it. Can’t leave you out there completely friendless can we?”

Harry felt a burning behind his eyes again as he nodded. “Thank you.”

Harrison only looked at the kid out of the corner of his eye. “Hmmm. Don’t mention it, kid. Now let’s go over everything again.”

* * *

 

It was a couple days later that Louis was going about his morning routine like normal. He happened to be scrolling through his news feed when a headline jumped out at him. 

##  **‘Where Is Harry Styles?’**

Louis narrowed his eyes in curiosity as he clicked on the article. He wished he hadn’t. Jeff, Harry’s manager had not seen the young singer since a couple of nights ago when the police were at Harry’s house due to a break in. Harry hadn’t shown up to the recording studio the next day. And when Jeff had gone to Harry’s flat in LA, he hadn’t received an answer and the place had been ransacked. After numerous calls to Harry’s mum and sister and anybody else that might have seen or hear from him, Harry was declared missing. 

Louis wanted to throw up. Harry was missing. No one had seen him. His place was destroyed. Where was he? Where was Harry? Was he hurt? Louis hoped he wasn’t hurt. Louis sat there in shock for a few more minutes before he snapped out of it. He grabbed his phone and made a call.

A shaky voice answered. “L-Louis?”

“Anne, I just heard,” Louis responded as he began pacing back and forth.

A sob escaped the woman’s mouth. “My baby is missing, Louis. He’s missing.”

Louis spent the rest of the morning on the phone trying to soothe Anne.

* * *

 

When Liam heard, he was spending his morning with Bear. He was feeding the baby when a knock came frantically on the door. Liam walked over to answer it and Cher walked in. 

“Are you OK?” She asked in concern as she hugged him.

Liam looked at the woman in confusion. “What are you talking about? Cher, what’s going on?”

Cher looked at Liam in shock. “You haven’t heard?”

Liam shook his head in bewilderment. “No. What is it?” He was becoming more and more nervous by the second. 

“Harry’s missing. It’s all over the news. No one has seen him in two days and his place in LA was torn apart.”

Liam felt his heart stop at those words. Harry? Missing? Maybe he hadn’t heard right?

“I’m sorry… what?” He asked his ex. 

Cher sighed and laid a hand on his shoulder. “It’s true. His mother and sister haven’t heard from him and his manager has been tearing the city apart looking with the police.”

Liam wanted to drop everything and fly out to LA right now and help look for his missing friend. He needed to be there. It was a well-known fact amongst the members of 1D that Liam was the most protective of Harry. Even if they had grown apart, that fact had not changed. Now Harry was missing. 

But how could Liam leave Bear? It was his week with him. Liam looked at Cher and she seemed to read his mind. 

“Bear can stay with my mother. Don’t worry. You do what you need to. We understand.”

Liam nodded gratefully and turned to kiss his son’s forehead. “I love you, cub. You be good for grandma and I’ll be back soon. And so will Uncle Hazzy.” 

Liam booked the next flight to California.

* * *

 

Niall heard through some paps that cornered him as he was walking out of his home in LA. 

“Niall? Do you have anything to say about the recent disappearance of Harry Styles?”

Niall paused at that and turned to look at the reporter who had spoken. What?

“Niall! Over here! Has Harry tried to contact you lately? Do you have any idea where he might be?”

Niall looked at the paps, confused. What were they going on about?

One of the camera women saw his confused look and lowered her camera, looking at the Irish man in pity. “You didn’t know, did you? Harry Styles has been missing for two days now but he was officially announced missing today.”

Niall’s breath caught in his throat. What? He quickly took out his phone to call Harry. Harry couldn’t be missing. He couldn’t. 

“ _Hey! It’s Harry! I’m out living my life! Leave it at the beep!_ ”

Niall’s heart began to beat rapidly when all he got was voicemail. He hung up and tried texting his curly-haired friend. 

**To Hazza Bear**   
_Harry!? Where are you? Please tell me that you’re OK!_

Niall knew this would be in vain though. He was so immersed in trying to figure out a way to contact Harry, that he didn’t notice when one of the reporters had walked up to him. He did notice when they got in his face and began shouting more questions at him. 

Niall quickly shoved the reporter aside and ran back to his house, slamming the door shut. He slid down the wall and stared at his phone, praying that his phone would light up and it would be a response from Harry. The more that the Irish man stared though, the more dismal that hope became. How could this be happening? Harry couldn’t really be missing. Could he? 

Niall was snapped out of his thoughts when his phone lit up. He almost half expected it to be Harry calling to say that it was all just a joke. That he was really fine and there was no need to worry. That of course was too much to hope for. Niall was surprised when he looked at his phone and saw who it was. He quickly answered.

“Zayn?” He asked, voice cracking. 

“ _So you’ve heard?_ ”

Niall swallowed thickly and whispered a confirmation. “He’s missing, Zayn. How can he be missing? What… what happened?”

“ _I don’t know, Nialler_ …” Zayn replied. “ _I don’t know but I swear we’ll find him_.” A long silence. “I’m coming to LA. I booked the next flight out. And if I know Louis and Liam, they’ll be there soon too. I have to go pack. Will you be alright?”

Niall shook his head as if Zayn could see him. “I’ll be OK when we find him and he’s safe.”

“I understand. I’ll be there soon.”

* * *

 

When Zayn had heard the news, the only thing he could do was stare at his phone in shock. Harry was missing? He had been stalked and possibly kidnapped? How could this be happening?

Zayn had been in the middle of recording his new single when he had decided to take a break. Checking his phone, he noticed that he had a ton of missed alerts and messages from his manager. Confused, Zayn checked the messages from Ryan first. 

**From Ryan Bailey**   
_Have you seen the news?_

**From Ryan Bailey**   
_Zayn? Seriously! It’s all over the news!_

**From Ryan Bailey**  
 _Are you OK? Call me! Let me know that you’re alright_.

Zayn shook his head in further confusion as he scrolled through all his messages. There was also one message from Safaa. 

**From Baby Safaa**   
_Zayn! Did you hear? Harry’s missing! Are you OK? Call me or mom!_

And Zayn had to read the message ten more times before the words sunk in. Harry was missing. What the hell. Zayn quickly clicked on the first news article that he could find and what he read sickened him. Some asshole had been stalking Harry and he had been reportedly seen near Harry’s recording studio. There had been a disturbance later that night at Harry’s house but they hadn’t caught the guy. The last people to see Harry alive were the police there that night. 

Zayn’s blood ran cold at that sentence. ‘ _The last people to see Harry Styles alive_ …’ Was Harry…? No! He couldn’t think like that. Harry was alive. He had to be. Because he swore if someone had hurt Harry… Zayn sat down to himself when he felt the familiar urge to protect Harry arise. Where had that come from? Because he and Harry didn’t talk anymore. Hadn’t talked in years now. Zayn shook his head again. That wasn’t important. Whatever had happened between Zayn and the other boys was not important at the moment and it could wait until Harry was found safe. The Bradford man immediately booked the next flight to LA and then called the one person he knew would pick up. 

“ _Zayn_?” A choked voice came through.

Zayn sighed. “So you’ve heard?”

* * *

 

Harry looked around his new home with sad eyes. This is where he would be spending the next few months. Maybe more. There was already furniture set up in the tiny house but it was all covered in sheets and dust. Almost like it hadn’t been used in years. Harry guessed that that was probably true. The air smelt cold and stale and Harry shivered as he looked around the house.

He looked down as Piper nosed his hand. Smiling down at the dog he leaned down and kissed her forehead. 

“This is our home for a while, girl. What do you think?”

Piper looked around and started sniffing at everything. The dog sneezed as she disrupted the dust on the couch. She turned to look at her owner, bewildered. Harry chuckled softly as he motioned for her to come back to him. He gave her a quick hug before letting her go and setting his duffel bag down on the couch. 

“OK, you two. This is it for the next few months,” Harrison said as he walked into the living room carrying a few boxes of food for Piper and Harry. “It’s not much I know but it will do.”

Harry gave the agent a small smile. “No, it’s good. Thank you.” 

Harrison sat down the boxes of food in the small kitchen and began to put things away. Harry went over and began to help him. It was awkwardly silent for a few moments before the older man decided to break the silence.

“You know, if I remember correctly, there is a keyboard or something around here somewhere. You know… if you wanted to play anything.”

Harry looked at him and nodded. “OK. Thank you.” 

The gruff man nodded and began to walk around the house making sure everything was set up properly. Harry turned back to the kitchen and decided to make some dinner for them. After about an hour, Harry was setting two plates of spaghetti on the table and a bowl of kibble in front of Piper. The dog barked happily and began to dig in hungrily. 

“Thanks.” Harrison nodded as he started to eat. “This is really good, pop star. Ever consider becoming a chef as opposed to a singer?”

Harry nodded. “I did. I used to work in a bakery but there’s something about music that just… it speaks to me and I can’t imagine my life without it.”

Harrison ‘hmmed’ but continued to eat. As soon as he was done, he got up and got ready to leave. “I should get going, kid. I have to let HQ know that you’re safe and settled. I’ll be back in a little over a week to check on you.”

Harry nodded quietly but didn’t say anything. As soon as the door shut, it was like a switch was flipped. Harry’s eyes began to sting and, after days of trying to keep the tears at bay, he could no longer hold them in. The curly-haired man buried his face in his hands and began to sob. 

He looked up when he felt a paw on his leg and whimpering. He saw Piper staring up at him with sad brown eyes and ears drooping. Harry got up from the table and made his way over to the couch and motioned for Piper to follow him. As soon as he sat down, the Shiba Inu dog jumped up onto the couch and laid her head onto her owner’s lap, trying to comfort him. Harry only bent his head down and buried his face into the dog’s neck, crying his heart out. This was going to be a long few months. 

* * *

 

**Two Weeks Later**

Two weeks. Two weeks it had been since Harry had been reported missing. Two weeks since the world had come crashing down around Louis, Liam, Niall, and Zayn. It had been a long and grueling couple of weeks. Zayn and Louis had fought almost every moment upsetting Niall. Liam had tried to get them both to calm down and focus on finding Harry to no avail. 

“What are you even doing here, Malik?” Louis had asked. “You haven’t even talked to us in years. “So why?”

“Because Harry is my friend too and I am just as worried as you guys are.”

“That’s rich.” Louis scoffed. “You cut off all ties with us. Especially with him. Do you realize how much you hurt him?”

“You don’t think I know that!?” Zayn shouted back in anger. “I think about it and regret it every day. I wish I could take back what I said so much.”

“Then why did you bloody say it to begin with? I thought we were friends! I thought we were all a team!”

“Guys…” Niall tried cutting in but he was ignored. He ran a hand through his hair nervously. Liam rested a hand on his shoulder comfortingly. 

“You want to talk about friendship? If we were such great friends, how come none of you noticed how bad the anxiety had gotten? How come you didn’t notice that I wasn’t happy anymore? Why were you all so damn busy with your own lives that you didn’t notice that I had stopped eating?”

Louis’ mouth snapped shut when he heard all that. He tried to reply but he couldn’t think of anything to say. Luckily, Liam and Niall had no such problem.

Niall got up looking at Zayn with concern. “You what? Zayn… I…”

“I thought you guys just didn’t care anymore so I decided that I didn’t care anymore either…” Zayn whispered as he sat down with his head in his hands. 

“Zayn…” Liam said as he sat down next to the older man. “We always cared. And we still do care. I am so sorry that you felt that way.” Liam wrapped an arm around Zayn and pulled him into a hug.

Louis sighed and knelt in front of the Bradford man. “Zayn… I… I mean… I just…”

Zayn gave Louis a small smile. “It’s OK. I know. I’m sorry too.” The smile fell off his face and he buried his face in his hands. “I wish it didn’t take Harry disappearing for us to talk again. I wish he were here right now.”

Niall rubbed his eyes and nodded in agreement. “I wish he was here too.”

The four sat there, thinking about their youngest friend and how much they each wanted him back in their arms. They were brought out of their thoughts when Jeff walked into the room with Anne and Gemma. 

“Boys, it’s time for the interview. Are you all ready?” 

Louis, Liam, Zayn, and Niall looked at each other and nodded. They all got up and headed to the interview for finding Harry. With this, they hoped that some helpful tip would come in and that they would be able to find the youngest in no time at all.

That had been two weeks ago. Since then, they had gotten one unhelpful tip after the other. They had been constantly harassed by reporters and, to make things worse, there was no sign of Harry anywhere. They couldn’t even find Piper, Harry’s beloved dog. 

They had the police searching around the clock for Harry but they never found anything. No paper trails. No phone calls. Nothing to track him by. No ransom notes had been sent in. No threats. Nothing. It was like Harry had disappeared right off the face of the earth and it was beginning to wear on everybody. The police had even tried interviewing Jack, the guy who had been stalking Harry for months, but he had shown up dead.

Where was Harry? Was he OK? Was he hurt? The boys desperately wanted to know but the more time passed, the less chance of finding the Cheshire lad seemed to arise.

* * *

 

Harry sat and watched the interviews and everything that his friends and family were going through. Tears stung his eyes, not for the first time since this whole ordeal began. Piper, bless her heart had spent the entire time trying to make Harry feel better. She cuddled up to Harry when he cried, she played around trying to distract him from everything and she protected him every time they went out for a walk making sure everyone and everything knew that he was hers. 

Harry had found the keyboard that Harrison had mentioned and he began playing on it, coming up with more songs every day. It seemed that, aside from taking Piper for walks, there was nothing else to do. Harry needed music now more than ever. There was one song that he had grown particularly close to called ‘Skin’.

‘ ** _Seconds from my heart, a bullet from the dark. Helpless, I surrender. Shackled by your love holding me like this, with poison on your lips. Only when it’s over, the silence hits so hard’. Cause it was almost love, it was almost love it was almost love, it was almost love. When I heard that sound when the walls came down, I was thinking about you; about you. When my skin grows old, when my breath runs cold, I’ll be thinking about you; about you…_** ’

Harry had written this when he saw the guys on TV begging for him to come home safely. He wished he could be with them right now. It hurt seeing them hurt. It hurt seeing his mom and Gemma hurting. He just wished that none of this had ever happened. But this was the situation he was in. In order to keep his loved ones safe, he had to do this. Harry laid down with his head on Piper’s belly and fell into a restful sleep.

* * *

 

It was a few months later, during one of Harrison’s visits when everything came to a head. Harrison received a call two hours into his visit with Harry.

“Harrison. What? Are you sure?”

Harry looked up at the agent in curiosity. “What’s going on?”

“I’ll have to ask him what he wants. I am not putting his life in any unnecessary danger.” He hung up the phone.

Harry looked at him expectantly.

“They caught Meyers and his men. And you’re the only living eyewitness left. They want you to testify.”

* * *

 

**One Week Later**

“Kid, are you sure you want to do this?” Harrison asked as he rested a hand on Harry’s shoulder. 

Harry nervously ran a hand through his curly locks that had slowly begun to grow back. “No… but I do know that it is something that I have to do.” He looked up at the agent that had protected him for the past few months. “If I don’t then this monster is let go and then what? I live in fear the rest of my life? Or worse yet. Let him threaten my family?”

Harrison gave Harry a barely-there smile. “You’re a good kid. Brave too. I know men twice your age who would just cower away and only think of themselves.” 

Harry smiled back up at the agent but it disappeared when he saw the bailiff gesturing for him to come forward. Harry could hear the district attorney from inside the courtroom.

“We call Harry Styles to the stand.”

Harry paled at that. “Here we go…” he whispered.

* * *

 

Harry was shaking by the time that he was done with his testimony. Carl Meyers had been sneering at him the entire time and Harry felt like he was going to throw up. He had to do this though. Had to. He couldn’t back down and let this bastard win. 

It happened as Harry was stepping off the stand. He saw one of the court officers reach into his belt and draw a gun aiming directly for Harry. Harry ducked down as he heard someone yell his name. He cried out as he felt something hit his shoulder. 

“Harry!” 

Harry fell to the ground and cried out again as he hit his injured shoulder. The next thing he knew Harrison was next to him, putting pressure on his wound. 

“Hey now. Stay with me, kid.”

But Harry found himself losing the battle to stay conscious

“I need a medic over here. I need one now!”

The last thing Harry remembered was Harrison calling out his name. 

* * *

 

Harry groaned in pain as he awoke, noticing that he was in the hospital. “Wh-what…happened?”

“You were shot in court.” Came a voice from right beside him. 

Harry turned to the side and saw his mom looking at him. His mom that he hadn’t seen in months. His mom that he had longed to hug. Tears began to fill his eyes.

“Mommy?” He asked, voice cracking.

“Oh, my baby.” Anne leaned forward and gathered Harry into her arms. “Oh, baby. It’s going to be alright. You’re safe now.”

“I was so scared mommy. I just wanted you and the boys the entire time to be there.” Harry sobbed as Anne held him. 

“I know, love. But you made it through and you’re safe now. You’re safe.”

It took a while for Harry to calm down but he did eventually. Once he stopped he laid in his mom’s arms not wanting to do much else. Eventually, he looked over shoulder and saw a sight that melted his heart. Liam, Louis, Zayn, and Niall were all sprawled out on the couches in the room and cuddled together. Anne turned to see what her son was looking at an chuckled. 

“They haven’t left your side since they got here. That was two days ago.”

Harry looked at his mom surprised. “I was out for two days?”

Anne smiled sadly at Harry. “Yes, love. You lost quite a bit of blood. We were all worried about you for a while there. It was lucky that Agent Harrison was there to keep pressure on the wound.”

Harry looked back at his mom at the mention of Harrison. “Is he OK? He didn’t get hurt, did he?”

Anne shook her head. “No, baby. He wasn’t.” 

Harry sighed in relief when he heard that. Looking back over at the boys he smiled. “I missed you guys. I missed them.”

Anne smiled at her son. “They missed you too. It hurt them to not know if you were alright. They were so relieved to hear that you had reappeared. I think it’s safe to say that they feel the same way about you as you do them.”

Harry looked at his mom in shock. “Wh…what?”

“Oh, Harry, love, I’ve known for a while now. I know that you love all of them more than just friends. And I can tell they feel the same way.”

“You… you don’t hate me?” Harry whispered, still looking at his mom in shock.

“Oh, Harry.” Anne cupped his chin in her hand. “I could never ever hate you. No matter what. And I only want you to be happy. That’s all I’ve ever wanted.”

Harry’s eyes began to water again. “I love you, mum.”

Anne hugged Harry close. “I love you too, baby.”

* * *

 

It was a few more days before Harry was officially released from the hospital and Louis, Liam, Zayn, and Niall had yet to leave his side. They stuck around for everything. Niall even found a way to sneak Piper in and out of the hospital so the dog could see her owner. Harry didn’t know if it was the fact that he hadn’t seen these boys in months or the fact that they were catering to everything he needed, but he felt himself falling more and more in love with them. 

A couple of weeks later and the five boys had been living at Harry’s flat in LA. Harry had decided to take a couple of months off to spend with family and friends. Harry enjoyed having his old bandmates around and it was like old times. Zayn and Harry sat down and talked about what had gone down between Zayn and the band and now their friendship was stronger than ever.  

One day, Harry was sitting at the piano in his house and singing the song he wrote all those months ago. Niall was the only one home at the moment and he was busy on a phone call with his manager so Harry chose to let everything go while he played. His feelings for the boys had been growing more and more and he was feeling miserable knowing that it was never going to happen. 

‘ _ **I’ll use you as a warning sign, that if you talk enough sense then you’ll lose your mind. And I’ll use you as a focal point, so I don’t lose sight of what I want. And I’ve moved further than I thought I could, but I missed you more than I thought I would. And I’ll use you as a warning sign that if you talk enough sense then you’ll lose your mind… And I found love where it wasn’t supposed to be, right in front of me. Talk some sense to me…**_ ’

“That’s really beautiful. Who did you write it for?” 

Harry looked up in shock. He hadn’t heard Niall come in at all. The Irish man was smiling at Harry as he walked into the room. He sat next to Harry on the piano bench. 

“Uh… hi, Niall. I didn’t hear you come in…” Harry looked away trying to hide a blush. 

Niall smirked over at his friend. “I see that blush! There is someone isn’t there! Who is it?”

Harry looked at Niall in confusion for a quick minute. He wasn’t entirely sure but he thought he heard a slight edge to Niall’s voice. What was that?

“Harry?”

“Huh?”

“Are you OK?” Niall asked in concern. “You spaced out for a minute there.”

“Oh… oh yeah… I’m good!” Harry smiled at the older man. “I was just thinking about the reason for this song…”

Niall smirked at him again an looked down at the lyrics. “So who is she?”

Harry looked down as he felt the blush returning. Being this close to Niall was making his stomach do somersaults. Maybe he should tell him? After all, if this experience had taught him anything, it was that life was too short.

“Well… it… it isn’t a girl…” Harry stammered.

“Oh,” Niall said as he turned to look at Harry. “Who is it? Someone I know?”

Harry blushed even harder. “Well…”

“Oh, I knew it! It’s someone I know!” Niall bounced excitedly. “Who?”

“I… don’t know if I can tell you…” Harry mumbled as he closed his music notebook. 

Niall looked at him in concern. “Hazza… you can tell me anything. Is this because it’s a guy? Because I don’t care about that. The lads and I love you just the same.”

Harry sniffled as he looked at Niall. Was he really going to do this? “It’s just that… it’s not jus… one… The guy I mean.”

Niall’s eyebrows knitted together in confusion. More than one guy? Could he mean…? No. “More than one guy…? Well… Haz if they make you happy… Do you mind if I ask who they are?”

Harry closed his eyes and took a deep breath to gather his courage. “Iloveyouandthelads…” 

Niall blinked at him. “I’m sorry… I missed that…”

Harry’s anxiety was going into overdrive. “I… I love… you and… and… the others. I ha-have for a while now.”

Niall sat in shock when he heard that. Harry what? He loved them? He did? This… this was a dream. A dream come true. Niall couldn’t say how long he had wanted to kiss the younger man and take him in his arms. He had actually wanted to do that with all his former bandmates but he didn’t know that anyone else had felt the same. Niall was about to say something but Harry beat him to it. He had taken Niall’s silence the wrong way. 

“I… am so so sorry. I shouldn’t have said anything. Oh, God. Please don’t hate me, Niall. Please. I couldn’t stand it if I lost you.” Harry’s breath was becoming more and more erratic. 

Niall reached over and brought him into a hug, holding him tightly. “I don’t hate you. Could never hate you, baby. Shhh…. calm down now, Haz. Try and match my breathing. I’ve got you. I’m here. I’m not going anywhere.”

Another body soon joined. “He’s right, Haz. We’re not going anywhere.” Zayn said as he held Harry from behind. “Just breathe with us. We’ve got you.”

“They’re absolutely right, love. We’re here for you.” Louis chimed in as he knelt in front of Harry.

“We always will be,” Liam said, sitting beside Louis. 

Harry just sat in their arms for well over an hour before he gathered enough courage to look up. “You… you guys don’t hate me? I would understand if you did…” He whispered the last part. 

He felt a hand cup his cheek and bring his face to look at Liam. “We could never, ever hate you, baby. We love you too much.”

“Haz…” Zayn breathed as he kissed the back of Harry’s head. “I think it’s safe to say that, we’re in love with you.”

Harry looked around in shock. He hadn’t been expecting that. He had hoped of course, but he hadn’t expected this to come true in his wildest dreams. Looking at his friends’ faces, he saw nothing but the truth. 

He felt a pair of lips gently brush across his. He looked up shyly at Niall as the Irish man smiled at him. 

“Does this mean we’re together now?” Harry asked looking down at his hands. 

Louis brought Harry’s hands to his lips and kissed his knuckles. “Yeah, Haz. We’re together. We’re boyfriends.”

“I love you guys,” Harry whispered. 

“We love you too, Haz. We love you too.

**Author's Note:**

> A/N: I hope you guys liked it! Let me know what you think and as always, send in the prompts at hazza-bearstyles.tumblr.com/ask or in the comments! I am so sorry it took so long but I feel sooo much better now! Love you all!! XxxOoo


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